From Zero to Love in Thirty Seconds
by MWolfL
Summary: It's been around a year since the end of the series, and one night Vin admits to Zero his love for her. However, not ready for a romantic relationship, she doesn't return them. Can Vin win her over...without losing his life? VinXZero
1. Vin Admits the Truth, As Does Zero

A.N. Thanks to YouTube I had gotten into the show Invisible Network of Kids. I also have become a big supporter of the VinXZero pairing, so this is my version of how they'll end up together. However, this story will have a major difference from the series: no Macbeth song. I hate villain songs and have always skipped her song when I watch an episode, so I don't have any idea on how to do it anyway.

Well, not too much had changed at Pinkerton apart from the characters growing older. However, one day Vin decided to do something that would lead to many changes.

It was recess time, and Zero was practicing her punches out on the field on a nearby tackle dummy. Vin walked up to her.

"Hi Zero." He smiled.

"Hey Vin, what's up?" Zero asked, still punching the dummy.

"Nothing much, I was just wondering if you could meet me on the roof later tonight after everyone's asleep. I need to tell you something." Vin said.

"Why can't you just tell me now?" Zero looked at him suspiciously.

"Trust me, I think you'd prefer me telling you where no one can overhear us." Vin rubbed the back of his head awkwardly.

Zero studied him for a moment.

"Okay." She said. "Macbeth is still a little weak from the cold she had a couple days ago so I don't think we'll be doing any work tonight anyway."

"Right."

The bell rang, meaning it was time for Mr. Soper's class, so Vin and Zero headed back inside.

Late that night, Vin nervously waited on the roof for Zero. She arrived much like a ninja would.

"So, what did you want to tell me?" She asked.

"Hang on, I think to ensure privacy we should sneak off into the woods." Vin whispered. "You know how Macbeth sometimes has those spy cameras and such..."

"Good point." Zero nodded.

They got back onto the ground and snuck into the woods until they reached a clearing out of sight of the school.

"Okay, I think here's good." Vin stopped.

"Now, what did you want to tell me?" Zero asked.

"That...that I love you." Vin admitted.

Zero stared at him.

"Is this true?" She asked unemotionally.

"Yes, I've loved you for a long time but I wanted to wait until I was ready for an official girlfriend before telling you." Vin explained.

"Then what was that around a year ago about Trixie and I not being 'real girls'?" Zero frowned.

Vin was upset that he had hurt Zero that much.

"Oh, I'm sorry about hurting your feelings, it's just..." Vin sighed. "Trixie didn't count because she's more like a sister to me. In your case I wasn't ready back then so I lied. I figured I would just pretend to like other girls until I was ready, and then tell you the truth. Sort of like 'saving the best for last'."

Zero relaxed.

"Look, Vin, I don't want to hurt you but you know how I..."

"I know, you don't have to decide right away." Vin cut in; then he started to look really upset, as if he was hiding pain. "Just...if you do end up rejecting me please do it gently. My heart already hurts about my parents and I don't think it could handle any more pain."

Vin looked as if he was about to cry; Zero looked at him sympathetically.

"I don't know who they are or why they gave me away or...or even if they love me." Vin tried hard not to cry.

Zero really softened, and decided to tell him one of her secrets.

"At least if they turn out to be abusive you wouldn't have had to endure it for a year like me." She looked away.

Vin looked at her with shock.

"You mean your parents...?" Vin gasped.

"No, just my dad." Tears formed in Zero's eyes, but one blink and they were gone. "You see about three years before I entered Pinkerton my mom and I were out running errands. While we were driving to one of the stores a drunk driver lost control of his car and crashed, hard, into our car, especially mom's side. I survived, but mom...mom died instantly. I was devastated, and dad was heartbroken. Since the drunk guy died during the crash dad couldn't take out his pain on him so he took it out on me. He blamed me for mom's death and kept beating me up and yelling at me a lot."

"But it wasn't your fault, so why would your dad blame you?" Vin asked, alarmed.

"Because most of the errands mom and I ran were for school." Zero explained. "I guess dad figured if we hadn't been out school shopping for me then the accident wouldn't have happened. I still don't know if that is true or not. Anyway, I put up with his abuse for around a year because I knew that dad was only acting out of pain, that deep down he still loved me. But later on I realized that he was getting worse. Not wanting him to do something permanent to me that he would regret, I decided to run away from home. I packed up all that I could and left. To avoid pain I also decided to shut down most of my emotions. I traveled to the next town and lived by my wits, doing odd jobs for random people and sleeping in protected areas. Then I traveled to the next town, and was almost mugged. Fortunately, a martial arts master from a nearby school saw what was going on and saved me. Wanting to learn how to protect myself, I asked him to teach me. He agreed and even let me stay with him, but after finding out that I wouldn't be able to pay for lessons I had to run errands and do chores for him to earn my keep. Then when I had learned all that I could he told me that it was time for me to move on and find my destiny. I continued traveling, also realizing that I actually missed going to school. I knew that I couldn't go back to school though, as they would ask me for my address and such. I then heard of this school, and gave it a try. You know the rest."

"So that's why you ran away." Vin realized. "But then what about that phone call from your dad last year?"

"My running away snapped dad out of his violent state and made him realize his mistake. Even so it took him a while to discover that I had taken my cellphone with me and even longer to work up the courage to call me. When he did he apologized big time and I forgave him, and we ended up talking as if nothing had changed. It felt so good to hear that he was back to his old self." Zero smiled slightly. "He then offered to take me back home, but I told him that Pinkerton was my home now. I also told him that he was welcome to visit anytime he wanted but it's a long journey to Pinkerton from my old hometown and he rarely gets a long enough break from work so..."

Zero shrugged, not needing to go any farther.

"Now I get why you never told anyone, you didn't want the authorities to take you away from him." Vin understood. "You wanted to be in contact with him again once he had recovered."

"Exactly." Zero nodded. "And because of my past it takes a long time and a lot of work for me to get close to anyone as a friend, and three times the amount of work when it comes to a boyfriend. If I ever end up with someone, I don't want it to be a one time thing. I want him to be the one for me, the one I spend the rest of my life with."

"I understand." Vin smiled a little. "Listen, if there's anything I could do to prove my love - even save your life - I'll do it."

"Hey, whoa, do not risk your life for me okay? I wouldn't want any of my friends to do that." Zero raised a hand warningly.

"Okay, okay, easy." Vin chuckled. "Eh, we'd better head back before we get caught."

"Yeah, you're right, I'd hate to think what would happen..."

"If I caught you two out here?"

"*GAH!*" Vin and Zero jumped around, startled.

Mr. Soper was in front of them, smiling knowingly. Vin and Zero were relieved that it wasn't Macbeth, but were also nervous since Mr. Soper was strict about curfew.

"Uh, Mr. Soper, um, you're probably wondering why we're..." Vin said awkwardly.

"I know, I overheard everything." Mr. Soper smiled. "I happen to have been collecting mushrooms nearby when you two showed up."

Vin facepalmed; he forgot about that hobby of Mr. Soper's.

"It's okay, I understand why you wanted to be out here this late to admit your feelings to Zero, considering how she is about emotions." Mr. Soper was still smiling. "I'll let it go again."

Vin was relieved, but Zero was still tense.

"Uh, about my dad..." She said nervously.

"I also understand why you never told me about him, and don't worry I won't call the authorities." Mr. Soper said; Zero relaxed. "But I do want his phone number tomorrow."

"Of course." Zero nodded.

"Now come on, it's way past your bedtime." Mr. Soper gestured towards the school.

They followed him back.

"Uh, Mr. Soper, about Miss Macbeth...you won't tell her will you?" Vin asked.

"No, I know how she is about kids falling in love." Mr. Soper frowned. "I can't understand why either. It is natural after all, and if the love is real then all the better."

"Maybe she's just jealous because she never had a guy." Zero guessed.

"Huh, I never thought of that. You know I think you're right." Mr. Soper nodded. "Don't worry, if she does see you two out here I'll just tell her that you were helping me gather mushrooms."

"Thanks." Vin and Zero smiled.

"Jinx, you owe me a soda." Zero smiled.

"*Doh!*" Vin facepalmed again.

Mr. Soper chuckled.

They headed back inside and Zero and Vin went upstairs.

"I'll be up later, I want to put these mushrooms in the kitchen." Mr. Soper said, holding up his bag. "Now, straight to bed you two."

"We will." Vin replied. "Uh Zero, about Trixie and Newton...?"

"Oh, we can tell them." Zero smiled a little. "After all they can keep a secret and they are our best friends."

"Great." Vin smiled. "I wanted to get Trixie's insight on the matter."

Zero nodded understandingly.

They went to their bedrooms and got into bed, but didn't fall asleep right away. Vin lay awake for a while wondering how he was going to win Zero's love, while Zero wrote in her diary:

Dear Diary,

Tonight Vin actually admitted his love for me! I wanted to return his love, as I do love him back, but after the whole thing with dad...I did make a deal with myself to not date just anybody. Whoever it was would first have to prove that he's the one before I could tell him my feelings. I hope Vin is the one, I couldn't have fallen in love with him without a good reason. Well, I'd better turn in. Good-night.

Zero


	2. Vin's Love Finally Wins

The next morning, before heading to class, Vin and Zero told Newton and Trixie what had happen the night before...including the story about Zero's father. Trixie and Newton were shocked about Zero's father, and sympathetic about her mother, but were glad that Zero's father had recovered. As for Vin admitting his love for Zero Trixie's response was "Well it's about time!" and Newton's response was neutral. Since he was too young to accept romance he wasn't exactly happy or anything but he was glad that Vin had finally admitted his feelings. In Zero's case both Trixie and Newton understood why Zero didn't return Vin's love, though Trixie secretly thought that Zero was being overcautious and Newton just wanted them to get it over with and become a couple.

"Sorry Newton, but Vin has to prove himself first." Zero shook her head. "Well, I want to do a little workout before class so I'll see you guys later."

"And I have to restock on some equipment, after all Miss Macbeth's class is first." Newton said.

They both left. Vin was glad since he wanted to talk to Trixie privately.

"Trixie, what do you think of me and Zero as a couple? I mean, you know, we're so different..."

"True, you two do make a good example of 'opposites attract'." Trixie smiled.

Vin smiled gratefully.

"Besides, secretly I think she does love you. She just had a rough past and so finds it hard to open up to anyone, even her friends."

"Yeah, I can kinda sense that she loves me back too...I think she was even about to admit it to me before she disappeared back during that time travel incident. But I want to hear it officially." Vin went to the window and looked outside.

Zero was jogging around the yard and doing some sit-ups. Vin sighed, lovestruck, and Trixie joined him at the window.

"I love her so much...I just wouldn't be able to stand it if she turned me down." Vin said sadly. "Trixie, can you think of any way for me to win Zero's love?"

"Apart from risking your life for her, not really." Trixie shook her head regretfully.

"Same here but she doesn't want any of her friends to risk their life for her."

"Oh...then all I've got is just showing her respect for her feelings. Keep your feelings for her a secret for now, support her at certain moments, and continue being a true friend to her. Eventually she'll come around."

"I hope so..." A tear rolled down Vin's cheek.

Trixie looked at him sympathetically.

"I know you miss your parents and are in pain from them giving you up, but I'm sure they had a good reason. If they didn't then they weren't good parents anyway. And you can't obsess over getting love from others just because of your parents, unconditional love just happens. You'll always have friendship love from Zero, Newton, and me." Trixie smiled comfortingly.

Vin smiled a little, but also sighed sadly.

"Thanks Trixie, but friendship love just isn't enough. I also want the kind of love you experience every day, whether from parents or from...from a wife and child. I want more than friends I also want a family."

"And you will have a family someday, you do have the heart for it." Trixie comfortingly put a hand on his shoulder. "You just have to be patient."

"I guess you're right. Even so, I still daydream about having a family with Zero. I love her that much." Vin blushed.

"And daydreaming is fine, as long as you don't force those daydreams into existence."

"I won't. I'd never want to hurt her, and if I accidentally did it would kill me inside."

"Relax, I'm sure everything will work out for you two." Trixie smiled. "Come on, we'd better head to class."

"Yeah."

They did. Their routine schedule continued for another few days. Vin took up Tixie's advice and respected Zero's feelings, but he still pined for her love. One day Mr. Soper read to everyone the story of Robin Hood. Unfortunately Macbeth, who had completely recovered by that point, got an idea from it: she was going to create robotic Merry Men, called Unmerry Men, and use them to steal everyone's treasured belongings! I.N.K. got on the job right away. It was easy to see that Macbeth was the one behind the whole thing, so it was a quick mission. They snuck into her secret lair and started to dismantle all the robots, but unfortunately Macbeth caught them and turned on the Unmerry Men! Newton grabbed the stolen items as Vin and Zero battled the robots, but Zero was so caught up in the battle that she didn't notice Unmerry Men behind her! Vin noticed the arrows soaring towards Zero...

"Look out!" He cried.

Startled, Zero turned around and froze in horror. Vin suddenly knocked her aside, saving her life, but got an arrow in the leg! Vin winced with pain as they landed on the ground. After recovering, Zero stared at him with shock.

"Zero, get Vin out of there!" Trixie ordered through their communication system.

Zero snapped out of her shock and picked up Vin, carrying him to the vent they had entered through earlier. Newton followed, but not before tossing up a pre-chewed wad of exploding gum onto Macbeth's control booth. The booth exploded, defeating the robots in the process.

"I.N.K.!" Macbeth's scream echoed behind them.

Zero carried Vin back outside - Newton still following - where they met up with Mr. Soper.

"What happened?" Mr. Soper gasped, noticing Vin.

"Uh, we were near the archery court when a stray arrow..." Vin began.

"Was about to hit me. Vin saved my life." Zero cut in.

Vin and Newton looked at her, surprised.

"I see. We'd better get Vin to the medical ward stat." Mr. Soper lead the way.

After Vin got his leg stitched and bandaged he was placed on one of the beds. Zero, Newton, and Trixie entered a few minutes later.

"How are you feeling?" Newton asked, concerned.

"Great, considering Zero isn't the one hurt." Vin grinned.

Zero pulled up a chair, sat down next to Vin, and looked at him with shock. Then she frowned and punched him in the shoulder. Newton and Trixie weren't surprised, this was typical Zero behavior.

"*Ow!*" Vin protested. "Hey!"

"Idiot! I thought I told you not to risk your life for me!" Zero scolded.

"I couldn't help it!" Vin retorted before softening and looking at her with strong love. "Whether you want me to or not I'll even willingly sacrifice myself if it means saving your life, with no regrets either. I love you Zero, more than life itself, and my heart would break if you ever died."

Zero looked at him with shock again, and then frowned again and grabbed him roughly by his hospital gown as if she was going to beat him up!

"Zero!" Trixie and Newton gasped, this time surprised; even for Zero this was a little too violent.

"Whoa, take it easy Zero hospital patient here you know." Vin said nervously.

"No Vin, I won't take it easy." Zero glared.

And she kissed him. Wha...she kissed him! Trixie and Newton dropped their mouths open, not expecting this. Vin looked at Zero with horror, as he hadn't recovered from thinking that Zero was about to beat him up. After a little more than a few seconds his brain finally registered that Zero was kissing him and Vin melted into the kiss, smiling, his heart beating rapidly. Realizing that Zero could stop the kiss at anytime, Vin then decided to return the kiss in order to prolong it. Zero's eyes opened wide as she realized that Vin was kissing her back, and then frowned as if she was trying to fight off Vin's love. She couldn't, she felt her heart absorbing Vin's love and she relaxed, eventually smiling as well. Trixie and Newton finally recovered from their shock by this point. Trixie was smiling, really happy, while Newton just looked away. He was happy for Vin and Zero but he still thought that kissing was gross.

Vin and Zero, after a few minutes, broke free and Zero leaned against her chair, smiling and really in love.

"Wow, I can't remember the last time I was so happy-*GAH!*" Zero suddenly clutched her chest in pain!

Vin, Trixie, and Newton looked at her with shock.

"Zero! Are you okay?" Vin asked, worried.

"Zero?" Trixie was also worried.

Zero didn't answer, she just kept gasping and clutching her chest.

"What's going on?" Newton asked, almost scared for her.

Zero only grimaced in pain as she continued clutching her chest. Finally she relaxed, gasping for air, but still had her hand on her chest. To Vin, Trixie, and Newton's surprise tears actually started to flow down Zero's cheeks! They had never seen her cry before. Zero also seemed different, as if the metaphorical dark cloud that had been hovering over her head had disappeared.

As if she was surprised as well, Zero let go of her chest and slowly put her hand to the tears. Vin, Trixie, and Newton then saw a lump beat through her chest. Zero lowered her hand and looked at the tears as if she didn't know what they were.

"I-I-I haven't cried like this since I ran away from home." She said, almost to herself.

"Really?" Newton said.

"Yes...when I first started to run away my heart started to scold me for leaving dad, saying that he still needed me." Zero explained. "I knew that I was only running away to protect myself so I didn't listen, and then I realized that it was because of my heart telling me not to that I didn't run away sooner. I yelled at my heart with my thoughts, telling it to shut up and that I didn't want to listen to it anymore, and it weakened and shrank. That was when I started listening to my head and head only, and became the Zero you guys know. Before I ran away I was a different Zero, a peaceful Zero with a strong heart and happy outlook on life. And now..." Zero put her hand back over the lump in her chest, which was her heart. "Now my heart is strong again."

Vin, Trixie, and Newton were surprised to hear all this, they had no idea that Zero wasn't always the serious, violent Zero they knew. Vin of course always knew that Zero deep down had a strong heart, but had no idea that she had weakened it. He thought she was just hiding it.

Zero looked at Vin and smiled ecstatically, despite tears still flowing down her cheeks.

"Vin..." Her voice was suddenly lighter, and she hugged him tightly, taking care not to hurt him. "Your love strengthened my heart! It brought my old self back! Oh Vin I love you, I love you so much! I always loved you my head was just being stupid!"

Tears of happiness flowed down Vin's cheeks and he returned the hug. They then kissed again, this time Zero immediately enjoying Vin's love instead of fighting it.

"We are meant to be together Vin." Zero said after they broke apart. "Only someone who would always love me as strongly as you do could have brought back my old self."

"I am so glad...I don't even want to think about what would happen to me if you hadn't returned my love." Vin smiled, holding her hands.

They hugged again.

Later Mr. Soper paid Vin a visit, and was surprised to hear what had happened to Zero. He then was glad that Zero was back to being a happy, strong-hearted girl instead of a cold, serious one.


	3. The New Zero

Days passed, and Vin had recovered enough to leave the hospital, though he would need crutches for another few days. The first morning of his time with crutches, Vin was waiting patiently for Zero to finish getting dressed.

"Zero, are you ready yet?" He smiled.

"Just about!" Zero called through the door. "Sorry I'm taking so long but I was getting the old me right...it's been a while since I last dressed like her."

"It's okay, I just can't wait to see your new-uh-old look that's all." Vin continued smiling.

"Okay, I'm ready."

Zero opened the door, and Vin dropped his mouth open. Zero was wearing a pretty bright blue long-sleeved shirt and skirt set, with blue knee-socks and sneakers. She still wore her headphones, as her love of music hadn't changed. It later would turn out that she still knew martial arts and still loved Asian culture, as she had loved those things ever since she was little.

"Zero...you look amazing." Vin smiled, love-struck.

"I knew you'd love it." Zero smiled. "Strong-hearted or not I haven't really changed, I just had a slight attitude adjustment."

"I always knew you had a strong heart." Vin smiled "So you haven't changed that much to me."

Vin and Zero held hands and walked to class. Everyone saw, and they were shocked. In Trixie and Newton's case it was obviously because of Zero's new look, but with everyone else it was hard to tell whether it was her new look or her and Vin holding hands. Van was first to approach them.

"Zero, is that a new look?" She asked.

"Yes Van, this is the real me." Zero nodded. "I had a rough past, which changed me into the Zero you all knew, but Vin's love brought the real me back."

"Well the real you looks a lot better than the previous you." Van smiled. "I always thought the other you was too depressing."

"Well that was because I was depressed in a way, I just expressed it through anger instead of sadness." Zero explained.

"Ah. So you two are finally a couple?"

"Yup, we're meant to be." Vin smiled.

"Congratulations." Van smiled.

"Thanks." Vin and Zero both said.

"Jinx, you owe me another soda!" Zero said.

"*Gah!*" Vin was taken aback, but he recovered. "I guess some things never change." He chuckled.

Zero laughed. Everyone looked at her, surprised, they didn't even know she could laugh.

Time passed, and Vin and Zero were inseparable. Zero may not have changed that much to Vin, but she did to everyone else. She stopped using violence - though she never stopped working out - often smiled, and was pleasant to everyone. Burt had stopped bullying a long time ago, due to fear of losing Van, but even so he never had to fear again of being hung by his undies thanks to Zero's attitude adjustment. No one did. Now whenever someone said or did something that used to get Zero angry Zero didn't attack or get that mad. Instead she sternly told off the person and warned them, and if they didn't heed the warning she would grab them by the shirt front and glare at them. The glare ended up being more effective than hanging people by their undies ever was.

About a couple months passed, with a few more Macbeth schemes to stop. Despite becoming more cheerful and kind Zero hadn't lost her touch. In every mission she suddenly became her I.N.K. self and attacked all of Macbeth's machines. Sometimes she even knocked down Macbeth if it was necessary.


	4. The Most Dangerous Mission Ever

However, Macbeth had gotten so tired of losing that she decided to pause on trying to take over the school and just concentrate on stopping I.N.K.. She came up with a plan to do so: act as if she had come up with another child-torturing device, and leave a message for I.N.K. in her bedroom - where they were sure to find it - that would lead them into her secret lair. Then she would attack them with her giant cat machine, which she repaired a long time ago just in case.

Newton had found the note first, next to Vagnar's bowl. The note basically was a secret combination for the safe in her lair, so Newton assumed that the torturing device was there. They all put on their camouflage gum masks and headed for the basement. Trixie had decided to come on this mission too, as their communicators always lost contact whenever one or more members were down there and she wanted to stay in touch during the whole thing. They found one of the secret entrances to her lair, snuck in, found the safe, and began working the combination.

"That was easy." Vin remarked.

"Too easy." Trixie said.

Sure enough, once the combination was done an alarm sounded! A panel slid open and Macbeth, in the cat robot, came out!

"I.N.K.! Prepare for your doom!" Macbeth cackled.

Scared, they tried to run out of the lair but a giant paw cut them off.

"Ah-ah-ah, there will be no escape!"

I.N.K. ran around, trying to find an escape, but it looked hopeless. Fortunately, Trixie and Newton found a hiding spot behind some oil drums near the entrance to the lair but Vin and Zero were still out in the open. Vin was then suddenly trapped against a wall, and Macbeth raised the cat robot's other paw as if she was going to scratch him! She was, but not in the way that we are usually scratched by cats. No, this scratch was for the kill!

"NO!" Zero cried, knocking Vin out of the way.

Zero ended up being the one with the fatal scratch across her torso! After Vin stopped skidding along the ground he looked at Zero with horror and pain. She was lying there, still, as if she was dead. Trixie and Newton gasped, tears starting to form in their eyes.

"ZERO!" He cried, feeling his heart break; he then looked at the cat robot with hate and anger instead of fear. "YOU!" He screamed, leaping at the robot.

He crashed through one of the eyes, which were really windows, and knocked Macbeth down. He then started trashing the controls.

"What are you doing, stop!" Macbeth protested.

Vin didn't listen, he just continued until he realized that the robot was about to self destruct. He then leapt out of the robot, picked up Zero, and ran towards where Trixie and Newton were hiding. That's when they saw Mr. Soper.

"MR. SOPER!" The three of them gasped.

"What is going on here?" Mr. Soper cried, shocked. "I come down here to find a broom and instead I find this secret room! And this...is that a robot or a cat?"

"Uh, it's a robot in the shape of a cat." Newton explained awkwardly.

"And it's going to explode, duck!" Vin added.

Vin ducked behind the oil drums with Zero while Mr. Soper went back into the basement and hid behind a box. After the explosion he carefully walked back to where Vin and the others were.

"I ask again, what is going on here?" He said.

At that moment, a pod opened up and Macbeth came out, dazed and disheveled.

"Miss Macbeth! What are you doing?" Mr. Soper was really shocked now.

"Oh...Mr. Soper...I, uh, well..." Miss Macbeth was at a loss for an explanation.

"She was trying to kill us." Vin admitted.

"Vin!" Trixie and Newton protested.

"No guys, it's time we told him the truth." Vin shook his head. "The truth about how Macbeth had been trying to take over the school and how we have been stopping her this whole time."

"What!" Mr. Soper gasped. "Miss Macbeth, please tell me this isn't true."

"Uh..." Macbeth was about to tell one of her lame lies, but couldn't stand the pressure anymore. "Yes it is true! I hate kids and want them to be under control like robots! I especially hate the Invisible Network of Kids! Namely them!" She pointed to Vin and the others angrily.

No one had ever seen Mr. Soper so angry.

"Miss Macbeth this time you are permanently fired!" He snapped. "And you four, how come you never told me sooner about all this! Who are you anyway?"

His yells attracted the other kids into the basement. They were very shocked to find out about all this.

Vin removed his mask and Zero's mask while Trixie and Newton removed theirs. Everyone stared at them.

"Well that does explain some of the stunts you have pulled in the past..." Mr. Soper realized, then became angry again. "But it doesn't excuse any of you for not telling me sooner about this! Why didn't you?"

"Because-because fighting Macbeth gave us a purpose." Trixie admitted, hanging her head shamefully. "Without the need to fight her our lives become boring."

"Even so you kept putting the school and your fellow students at risk of Miss Macbeth's control!" Mr. Soper scolded. "That was very selfish of you!"

"But...but we kept saving the school everytime, even risking our lives..." Newton started to sob.

"No guys." Vin said sadly. "Mr. Soper is right. If we had told him about Miss Macbeth from the beginning Zero...Zero wouldn't be dead."

He started crying, very heartbroken. Even Mr. Soper's anger melted upon seeing how upset Vin was. Trixie sadly went over to Zero and put a hand on her chest in mourning. Then she looked up, suddenly happy.

"Vin...Zero isn't dead." She said. "I can feel a heartbeat."

"What?" Vin looked up; he then carefully put a hand on Zero's chest. "You're right!" He said happily, his heart healing a little.

He then kissed Zero, who smiled a little but didn't wake up.

"I have to get her to the medical ward." Vin said, running out of the basement with Zero.

Mr. Soper turned to Trixie and Newton.

"I won't punish you for lying to me, it's obvious that the four of you had already been punished more than enough." He said, no longer angry but not exactly happy either. "But next time please find a way to keep yourselves busy without putting others at risk."

"Yes Mr. Soper." Trixie and Newton said.

Mr. Soper left, calling the authorities about Macbeth on his cellphone, while the other students started talking to Trixie and Newton about the past. Macbeth was now emotionally defeated, so she didn't even try to make a run for it. She did glare at everyone as the police took her away in a squad car though. Her 'pet', Daryl, was crushed when he discovered her true nature. As time passed however he recovered and even later realized how much of an idiot Macbeth really was.

Meanwhile, Vin ran to the medical ward and got the attention of the main robotic doctor. The robotic doctors had been improved recently, as they now were able to feel most human emotions.

"What happened to Zero?" The main robot doctor asked Vin.

"I'll explain later...please, you must save her." Vin said, still crying.

"Of course."

He got the attention of the other robot doctors, who came out with a stretcher. Vin let the main robot doctor place Zero on the stretcher and they rolled her into surgery. Vin waited outside. He never budged, he just stood there watching the door. Eventually he did sit down, but he still kept his eyes on the door. Later on Mr. Soper, Newton, and Trixie came in and found Vin still sitting there.

"Will Zero be okay?" Newton asked, worried.

"I hope so, I can't live without her." Vin said, not even looking away from the door.

Finally, the main robot doctor came out.

"It was a very close call, but she'll pull through." He said. "She will be confined to bed for a very long time though."

"As long as she survives, it's okay." Vin said.

The other robot doctors wheeled Zero out and gently set her down on a hospital bed. They then hooked up an IV to her. Vin immediately went over to her and sat down on a chair on her right side, the side without the IV.

"Vin, you should let Zero rest." Mr. Soper said.

"I will, but I'm not leaving her side until she's well enough to leave the hospital." Vin shook his head; he then took her right hand in his hands. "Please Zero, don't leave me." He said to her.

"Come on, we should leave them alone." Trixie said.

She, Newton, and Mr. Soper left.


	5. A Surprise Visitor

Vin continued staying by Zero's side. Mr. Soper, Trixie, and Newton took turns trying to convince him to leave now and then, but he refused. The only compromise he agreed to was to take a shower now and then in the hospital's bathroom. Otherwise, he stayed near Zero, most of the time gazing at her and holding her hand. He rarely slept or ate, worrying everyone else. Newton, Trixie, and Mr. Soper visited one time to express their concern.

"Relax guys, I'm not going to die on you." Vin said.

"But you've hardly been sleeping or eating...that can't be good for your health." Newton pointed out.

"Newton's right, how about you come get a meal and rest in your bed?" Mr. Soper offered.

"Give it up guys, I won't be entirely well again until Zero recovers anyway." Vin frowned. "At least let me handle this my way. Besides, I won't be able to rest in my bed, I would be tossing and turning wondering if Zero is still okay. At least here I can make sure that she's still okay and get some rest. If you're really concerned about me though I will eat any meals you bring to me, just keep in mind I won't eat all the food due to not liking some kinds."

Trixie, Newton, and Mr. Soper gave in.

Another detail: Mr. Soper called Zero's dad Jared. Jared was shocked about what had happened to his daughter, and drove right over work or no work. By the time he got to Pinkerton Zero had finally woken up.

"Zero." Vin smiled. "I was starting to get scared."

"Hey, I wouldn't leave you like that." Zero smiled back.

Jared then walked in. He didn't look anything like Zero, he had pink skin like most other people and also had blonde hair.

"Dad!" Zero gasped.

Startled, Vin turned around. When he saw what Jared looked like he guessed that Zero got her looks from her mom.

"Hey Zero, I'm glad to see you awake." Jared smiled. "When Mr. Soper called I was so worried."

"I'm fine now...oh dad I've really missed you."

They hugged.

"I've missed you so much too...I'm so sorry."

"Don't feel too bad dad, if I hadn't ran away I would have never come to Pinkerton and come to know Trixie and Newton...and Vin, my boyfriend."

Jared turned to Vin.

"So you're Vin, Zero told me a lot of good things about you." Jared smiled. "She also told me about how you brought her old self back with your love...I'm really grateful for that."

"Hey, it was nothing." Vin smiled. "I didn't even know she had a past self, I was just loving her with all my heart."

"Well, that isn't nothing." Jared went over and sat on the opposite side of the bed. "It isn't often that you end up with someone who loves you unconditionally."

"True...can't argue with that."

Jared and Vin continued talking, and ended up really liking each other. It also turned out that Zero did get her looks from her mom, it was a rare gene disorder that caused a lack of pigment. Actually Zero did have her dad's colors at first but they faded away as she got older. This was also why she wore long sleeves a lot, since her lack of pigment made her skin extra sensitive to the sun. For parts that weren't covered she used really strong sunblock all the time. This gene disorder also lead her to preferring nighttime, which lead to her liking Goth and supernatural related items. She especially liked vampires as they sort of had the same problem as she did.


	6. An Even Bigger Surprise

A couple days later, a married couple walked into an orphanage and went up to the headmistress. The husband had light blonde hair and blue eyes and the wife had bright blonde hair and green eyes.

"Hello, we're here about our son." The husband said, showing the headmistress a birth certificate with most of the name covered by his hand. "We dropped him off here over ten years ago."

"Oh yes, he's not here anymore." The headmistress smiled.

"You mean he was adopted." The wife guessed knowingly.

"Actually no, he was never adopted."

Both the husband and wife dropped their mouths open.

"Actually, he's been at Pinkerton for quite a few years, it's a boarding school for kids across town."

"Pinkerton!" The husband gasped.

"That's where we sent our daughter!" The mom was surprised by this coincidence.

The headmistress was pretty startled about the coincidence too.

The married couple immediately headed for Pinkerton. It was recess, so all the kids were outside. Mr. Soper, and Macbeth's replacement Miss Capulet, were there too. The married couple waved to Mr. Soper from outside, and the kids saw them as Mr. Soper went over to let them in.

"Hello Vincent, Willow, I haven't really seen you two since you first dropped Van off." Mr. Soper smiled.

"That's because we've been so busy, we've only had time to quickly pick up Van from the curb to take her home for the holidays or to take her out for her birthday." Vincent explained.

"Mom, dad!" Van said, running up to them. "It's great to see you!"

"It's great to see you too Vanessa, but you're not the whole reason why we're here." Willow said. "We're here to see your brother."

Mr. Soper and most of the kids were shocked, but Van wasn't. She pulled a photo out of her pocket.

"You mean him?" Van asked; it was a photo of her as a baby with her baby brother. "I was wondering when you were going to tell me about him. Who is he?"

Vincent showed her the birth certificate, again covering most of the name. Van was shocked at first, but then realized that it made sense.

"Oh, him, should've known." Van smiled. "Follow me, I know where he is."

Vincent, Willow, Mr. Soper, and later Burt followed Van to the medical ward. Vincent and Willow were startled.

"Don't worry he's fine, he's just keeping his girlfriend company while she recovers." Van explained.

They went into the room, and walked over to where Zero rested. Vin was obviously still there, and so was Jared. This time Trixie and Newton were there too. Zero, Trixie, Newton and Jared stared at the new visitors, causing Vin to turn around.

"Oh, Van are these your parents?" Vin guessed.

"Not just my parents Vin, they're your parents too." Van said.

Vin, Trixie, Newton, and Zero dropped their mouths open.

"What?" Vin gasped.

"That's right son." Vincent showed him his birth certificate.

It turned out that he had been covering the certificate so that only three letters of his son's name were shown: V, I, and N.

"If you're my parents...then what's my real name?" Vin asked.

Jared, Mr. Soper, and the kids stared at him.

"I thought Vin was his real name." Newton said.

"No, I kept my real name a secret from everyone because only three people originally knew: my parents, and the headmistress at the orphanage." Vin explained.

Vincent and Willow kneeled down and smiled at him.

"Vinson." They said.

Vin suddenly smiled and hugged them. They hugged him back.

"You are my real parents." He said happily. "I thought I'd never find you."

"Hold on...if you came here looking for him...then why did you give him up in the first place?" Trixie asked.

Vincent and Willow stopped hugging Vin, went to get a couple chairs, and sat down.

"We had to, by the time he and his sister were born we were too poor to take care of two babies." Vincent explained. "So, we flipped a coin to see which one we would have to give up. Vinson lost the coin toss obviously."

"So, we're siblings?" Vin turned to Van.

Burt overheard this and was really shocked.

"Fraternal twins." Willow nodded.

"That explains why those two have a few things in common." Newton realized.

"And why Vin wasn't jealous when Van started dating Burt." Zero added. "Apart from being in love with me I mean."

"Of course, siblings never develop romantic feelings for each other." Vin chuckled.

"This also explains why they have the same birthday." Trixie added. "I thought that was just a coincidence."

"Well, it wasn't. Anyway we always felt bad about giving Vinson up, but knew that we wouldn't be able to get him back until we got some more money." Willow continued explaining. "So we took a chance and invested in an experimental boarding school for kids...Pinkerton. It was a risky moment, and almost didn't pay off, but then Pinkerton became successful."

"We started becoming rich, but by the time we had enough money a few years had already passed." Vincent said. "And we figured that Vinson had already been adopted. Not wanting to get in the way of him and his adoptive parents, we let him go."

"But we just kept missing him too much, and recently we couldn't take it anymore." Willow added. "So we decided that even he had been adopted it didn't mean that he shouldn't know us. So, we went looking for him and the trail led to here...and we found him."

"I told you that your parents gave you up for a good reason." Trixie smiled.

"Yeah, you were right Trixie." Vin smiled; he then turned to his parents. "I missed you guys so much, but Pinkerton is my home now so..."

"We understand, actually we live in this town and we'll try to visit more often so it'll work out." Vincent smiled.

"So this whole time you guys were here all along and I never knew."

"That's nothing, for the past few years you've been at the same school as your sister and we never knew." Willow smiled.

Everyone chuckled.

"Yeah, I guess if I had told them about you they would have found you sooner but I only told them about my classes, and Burt and my friends." Van smiled.

"It's okay, the main point is that we found each other now." Vin smiled back; he then hugged her. "I've always dreamed of having parents but never dreamed that I could have a sibling too."

"I always knew I had a brother, but I had no idea that you were him." Van hugged him back.

Burt walked in and Vin noticed him. Startled, he backed away from Van, causing her to turn around.

"Hey man, it's cool, I overheard everything." Burt actually smiled.

Vin relaxed.

"Sorry about the past." Burt said.

"No, I'm sorry, most of it was my fault." Vin shook his head; he then offered his hand. "Truce?"

"Truce." Burt accepted his hand.

"Good, because if you hadn't agreed I would have refused to let you continue dating my sister." Vin smirked.

"Hey." Burt frowned.

"Vin, come on, it's my choice." Van looked at him a little sternly. "Although I do want you two to get along..."

"Relax, I was kidding." Vin chuckled. "Even if you used to be mean to almost everyone else you always did treat Van kindly so it's cool."

Everyone chuckled.


	7. Life at Pinkerton Becomes Better

Yup, everything turned out great for the main cast. Zero recovered quickly after that day and was allowed outside on the condition that she wouldn't do her workouts for another couple weeks. Jared wanted to be close to Zero now so he moved into the same town that Pinkerton was in. He and Zero found a great house, and started a new life. They both had finally healed from her mom's death. They still missed her but the pain didn't hurt as much anymore. Zero would hang out with her dad a lot, to catch up, and went home with him every Christmas vacation.

Vin now started hanging out with Van a lot so that they could get to know each other more, and had ended up becoming friends with Burt. The next Christmas vacation Vincent and Willow picked up both Vin and Van and Vin enjoyed his second home. It turned out that ever since his and Van's fourth birthday their parents had been buying an extra present for Vin, just in case. So, on Christmas morning, those were the presents he got. He also got a special present: a baby's stuffed rabbit toy that looked similar to Van's old stuffed kitty toy. It turns out that Vin and Van were given the rabbit and kitty when they were born, but Vincent and Willow kept the rabbit to help remember him by when they had to give him up (as they had very few photos of him). This explained why he always had a really soft spot for rabbits, especially during the robot rabbit incident.

Zero and Vin didn't limit their time together though. They hung out every day, except during Christmas vacation. Even then they made plans to hang out at least twice during the vacation, the second time being when they exchanged presents. Vincent, Willow, and Jared got to know each other and ended up getting along very well. They were also glad that Vin and Zero had found each other.

As a few more years passed Newton finally matured and stopped thinking of kissing as gross. That was when he realized that he had developed feelings for Trixie, and probably had feelings for her all along but never knew. When he admitted this to Trixie she admitted back that she had slight feelings for him but had been waiting for him to mature. Now her feelings were stronger, and they ended up together.

Time passed, and it was graduation time at Pinkerton. All of the students were upset, as they had a wonderful time there (apart from the Macbeth incidents I mean). Vin, Zero, Trixie, Newton, Van, and Burt hung out before the ceremony.

"Well guys, Pinkerton or no Pinkerton we are not going to stop hanging out." Vin said; he hadn't changed much physically, though now wore a red collared shirt instead of a T-shirt. "Thank goodness we all have each other's cellphone numbers. So, what are you guys planning to do?"

"I've decided to teach martial arts." Zero said; she still wore bright blue, but this time it was a turtleneck over jeans, and her hair was longer. "I want to help kids defend themselves like my old teacher helped me."

"I'm going to work in fashion." Van said; she still wore pink, and had really kept up with the styles, but this time she was wearing a simple cotton dress for comfort (the gowns would cover it anyway). "I've already got a job offer in Vague, the big fashion company."

"I'm going to work in big business, but I'll try to find a decent company that cares about its customers." Trixie said; she was wearing a starched burgundy dress suit, something like a business woman would wear.

"I'm going to open up a joke shop." Newton said; he wore a green shirt and jeans, and had gotten contacts. "I already have a lot of money saved up to rent a building somewhere."

"As for me, I was thinking of working in demolition." Burt said; he wore a purple shirt over jeans. "It'd be nice to wreck stuff without getting into trouble for it."

"I was thinking of opening a center for kids in trouble." Vin said. "That is, kids who have abusive parents or kids who live out on the streets."

Everyone stared at him. Not because they were surprised, but because they realized that his past as an orphan was still affecting him. Zero then hugged him, touched, since his idea had also been inspired by her past of being abused.

"That's a wonderful idea." She said.

"Well, I don't want any more kids living out on the street like you had to do." Vin hugged her back.

They then headed for the ceremony. Afterward they said goodbye to Mr. Soper before going out to celebrate. They would still keep in contact with Mr. Soper, since he had become like a father figure to them, especially to Zero and Vin.

As the years passed everyone got the job they wanted. Trixie found a job in a business that made environmentally friendly products, so Newton opened his joke shop in the same city. It turned out that almost all of them ended up in the same city. Only Van and Burt were in a different city, but it wasn't too far away. Neither of the cities they were in was the one with Pinkerton, but they were relatively close by.


	8. Vin's New Family

One year, Vin proposed to Zero with a heart shaped diamond engagement ring. Zero happily accepted, and their wedding was wonderful. Zero broke tradition by wearing a sky blue dress instead of a white one, and since Vin didn't know about it beforehand he was happily surprised when he saw her walking down the aisle. After the wedding and reception, Zero tossed the bouquet...and Trixie caught it. She and Newton both blushed.

Yup, Tixie and Newton got married next, just a few months later, and a couple months after that it was Van and Burt who got married.

After a year of Vin and Zero's marriage had passed, they had a son. He looked like Vin, but Vin and Zero wondered if their son's colors would fade away like Zero's had. By the time he was three, nothing had happened, so it looked as if he wouldn't lose his colors. When he turned four and still had his dad's colors this confirmed it, as Zero started losing her colors when she was a little over two.

Their son's name was Bayard, after the knight who was pure of heart, and he became very close to his parents. Especially his dad.

Early one Saturday morning, Bayard snuck into his parents room and pounced on the bed, startling them.

"Hey son." Vin chuckled, recovering. "What was that for?"

"*Grrr*, I'm a lion cub!" Bayard said with pretend fierceness.

"Is that so? Well big lion dad is gonna get you!" Vin grinned at him.

"*Eep.* Mom help!" Bayard jumped off the bed and ran out of the room.

"Come back here you!" Vin followed him.

Amused, Zero got up, put a robe on, and followed them downstairs. In the living room she saw Vin tickling Bayard and she laughed.

"Okay dad, I give I give! You win!" Bayard laughed.

Vin laughed too.

"So, what was the big idea waking your dad up early on a Saturday?" He smiled.

"I wanted you to watch cartoons with me." Bayard smiled back.

"Sounds like a perfect reason to wake up early to me." Vin chuckled.

"I'll go make breakfast." Zero smiled, walking towards the kitchen. "How does French toast sound?"

"Sounds good to me." Vin smiled.

"*Yum*, me too." Bayard got up.

She came back a few minutes later with the French toast. Vin and Bayard were already settled on the couch watching cartoons.

"Thanks honey." Vin smiled, taking his toast.

"Oh, glad you remembered." Zero smiled, walking back to the kitchen.

Vin tried hard not to laugh cause of the piece of toast in his mouth. Bayard didn't have any toast in his mouth though so he laughed hard. Zero then came back with the honey, also laughing. They enjoyed watching cartoons together for a while, and then Vin turned off the TV.

"Come on son, time to get dressed so we can go play." He smiled.

"Okay daddy." Bayard went back upstairs.

"You're a great father Vin." Zero smiled, starting to take the dishes.

"Here, let me help." Vin got up with his dishes. "Well I have a great wife and son to thank for that. Truthfully, I've been dreaming of having a family with you ever since we were preteens."

"Really?"

"Yeah, I guess I just always knew that you were the one."

"I wish I had known sooner."

"It's okay, considering your past it was understandable why you hesitated." Vin put his dishes on the kitchen counter. "You think we'll ever tell Bayard about our pasts?"

"I think we should, he should know how lucky he really is." Zero nodded. "How about later today?"

"Okay."

So they spent the rest of the morning playing, and after lunch they told Bayard the truth about their pasts. Bayard was shocked at first, and felt sorry for his parents, but was glad that everything worked out for the best and more for them. He was also grateful to have such a wonderful home with wonderful parents, and never took either for granted for as long as he lived.


End file.
